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The editorial board met this week with Randy Cooper, the city parks director; Jeff Eben, the deputy mayor, and a few other excited folks about "Projects that will make Fresno the municipal Action Sports capital of California!" (Punctuation and capitalization theirs from the press kit).
Well, there you go. The superlatives were flying around the room. Just a few quotes from the press releases: "By early 2009, Fresno will hold the designation as the municipal action sports capital of California ... The largest paintball facility in the Central Valley ... three BMX dirt parks that will include what will likely be rated the best BMX track west of the Mississippi! ... Ramp It Up Fresno! ... some of the most dynamic trails in the nation." They were passing out cards for the Web site of the Woodward Park Mountain Bike Skills Progression Park, which was called on the cards the "most progressive mountain bike park in California." Click here to take a look at that.
Whew! I'm impressed already and most of the big stuff hasn't even happened yet. And that's the sinker. In our editorial tomorrow, we say it's great to have vision, wonderful to be hopeful, but when it comes to the city living up to its hype, well, be skeptical about the details, too.
Fortunately, a lot of this is already taking shape. If you are into BMX biking, mountain biking, skateboarding, paintball shooting or the tourism business, be sure to stay abreast of the city's plans. If everyone working on this project has half the energy and enthusiasm of Randy Cooper, well this could get done in a hurry. Sounds like big fun. My birthday's coming up... I think I'll ask for a pink beach cruiser with streamers and a wicker basket...Hey, stop laughing!
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has some serious policy disagreements with Sen. John McCain. The two are far apart on abortion rights, timelines for American withdrawal from Iraq and health care plans.
Schwarzenegger's health care plan -- which flamed out in the state Senate this week -- is modeled on the one Mitt Romney pushed when he was governor of Massachusetts.
So of course Schwarzenegger endorsed McCain on Thursday, prompting Romney to say, “I don’t think anyone here would be surprised by Gov. Schwarzenegger’s endorsement of Senator McCain. Their views on a number of issues are similar, and so I don’t think that comes as a surprise.”
Glad they cleared that up.
The Bee's editorial board had been supporting former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in the Democratic primary. But with his withdrawal from the race on Wednesday, The Bee is now supporting Sen. Barack Obama.
Here's The Bee's editorial explaining the board's reasoning.
It's too bad that voters in California and the other Super Tuesday states were deprived of the opportunity to express their feelings about all the candidates. In addition, how many California voters already cast ballots for Edwards and Rudy Giuliani, who dropped out of the Republican race on Wednesday. Early voting has been going on in California for several weeks and many voters undoubtedly have cast ballots for candidates no longer in the race.
Thursday is the deadline to nominate your employer for the annual Child-Friendly Business Award.
The most precious thing in the life of parents -- next to their families -- are bosses and colleagues who understand the importance of keeping work and family in balance. If you work for one of those companies that knows a child's track meet sometimes takes priority, First 5 Fresno County wants to give credit where credit is due. Click here to see the Web site's instructions for nominations or call Courtney Shapiro at 241-6564. This is a great idea.
I talked to Courtney today and she says there are more nominations than ever this year, so make sure your company isn't left out. As the movie stars say, it's great just to be nominated.
Is the balancing act a constant challenge for you? Maybe your bosses should see this list of First 5's top 10 reasons to have a child-friendly business:
* With a flexible workplace that enables employees to take care of their family you will get the best from your employees
* Employees will stay longer with employers who
support their needs as parents
* Avoid business costs due to work absences
* Customers with children feel more comfortable
in an environment that supports families
* Happy customers mean loyal customers
* Customer loyalty means more sales/productivity
* Giving children a healthy start contributes to a
productive workforce in the future
* More children better prepared to succeed, result
in thriving communities
* Positive early experiences help prevent future problems (such as crime, health care and remedial education)
* You could win a Child-Friendly Business Award!
.
 Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards is expected to drop out of the Democratic presidential race today -- not making it to the Super Tuesday primaries that include California's balloting. Media reports say Edwards will announce his withdrawal in a speech in New Orleans today, making the Democratic contest a two-person race.
Despite Edwards' best efforts, it has been mostly a battle between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama since the voting began in Iowa. Clinton and Obama now head for Super Tuesday.
Edwards had hoped to restart his populist campaign in South Carolina on Saturday, but he failed to gain his support of four years ago in the state where he was born. Obama won South Carolina and Edwards was third. Press reports indicate Edwards will not immediately endorse either Obama or Clinton.
The Bee's editorial board supported Edwards and we'll now consider the remaining candidates in the Democratic race. It's disappointing that Edwards did not make it to California and voters here will not have a chance to vote for him. Actually, because of early voting in California, some have already voted for him, but those votes now will be meaningless.
But that's the system. Several candidates in the Republican and Democratic races pulled out before their campaigns got to the nation's most populous state.
 Republican Rudy Giuliani's political collapse was complete today, as his presidential campaign faded away in the Sunshine State. The former New York mayor finished a distant third in Florida, a state that he had to win to get back into GOP contention. Sen. John McCain finished first, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney second.
McCain is now in excellent position entering next week's Super Tuesday primaries. Giuliani is expected to drop out of Wednesday and throw his support to McCain, according to this story in the Associated Press.
Giuliani led the Republican polls last year, and was expected to be a strong contender for the GOP nomination. But his strategy of bypassing the early primaries and charging to the finish using Florida as a launching pad proved faulty. Giuliani never got out of Florida.
(Associated Press photo)
Now that the House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a $146 billion economic stimulus plan, the U.S. Senate has decided to forge off in another direction. The danger, of course, is the Senate proposal will delay getting checks to taxpayers and slow down any benefits to the economy. The Senate should pass the plan agreed to by President George W. Bush and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
But hold on, says Sen. Max Baucus, D-Montana. He's the Senate Finance Committee chairman, and he's got his ego in this fight. He wants to add benefits to the package, guaranteeing a debate over the plan and a delay in it becoming law.
If you're concerned, call Baucus' D.C. office at (202) 224-2651. Here's his Web site.
Baucus may be right in adding Social Security recipients to the program, but not if the president balks, and no package gets approved. There is unusual agreement between the president and the House on this deal. If the Senate holds it up, it could fall apart.
These are the main differences in the plans, according to the New York Times: "The Senate plan would provide $500 to some 20 million Americans over the age of 62 who live only on Social Security benefits and therefore would not have qualified for payments under the House proposal, which requires tax filers to show $3,000 in earned income."
Here's more from the Times' story:
He (Baucus) also said the Senate rebate plan was more straight-forward, providing payments of $500 for individuals and $1,000 for couples filing jointly with no income cap for eligibility, and for families an additional $300 a child.
The House plan called for minimum stipends of $300 for individuals paying less than that in income tax and rebates of up to $600 for individuals and $1,200 for couples, with the payments phased out for individuals earning more than $75,000 or $150,000 for couples. Those limits would effectively deny rebates to members of Congress.
 A friend forwarded this photo to me (Thanks, Ron!) and I thought I'd share it here.
Moving the presidential primary up to February was going to make California a player in the nomination process. Or so advocates of the early primary argued. Maybe that's how it will turn out on Feb. 5, but there's little evidence of any impact at all in the Valley. That's the conclusion from a story today by The Bee's John Ellis.
Only one candidate -- Hillary Clinton -- has bought air time on local TV. No one is seeing the mailbox stuffed with candidate junk mail -- perhaps that's a blessing. Some candidates visited the region early on, but mostly that was for fundraising. We haven't seen hide nor hair of any of them in some time.
Money may be an issue with many of the candidates. It's particularly expensive to campaign in California because of the huge population and size. The state has several distinct regions and media markets -- it would cost more than all of them have combined to hit every area.
There's still a week to go, so things could change. But to this point all the early primary seems to have done for California is give us an extra election to pay for in this cycle.
The Bush 43 administration has wound down, and you need look no further for evidence than last night's State of the Union speech. The Fresno Bee's editorial on the speech called it a "low-impact finale." It truly was, as George W. Bush offered no new initiatives, and spent much of his time defending his Iraq war policy.
In case you didn't notice, the five-year war has been a success. "Al-Qaida is on the run in Iraq and this enemy will be defeated," the president told us. That's it. Mission accomplished.
Maybe he did better as the 46th governor of Texas.
The president Monday night called for a 50% reduction in earmarks -- pork barrel spending crammed into appropriations bills to satisfy the constituencies of members of Congress. They're wildly unpopular across the country -- except when they come back to the individual voter's district. That's why it's so hard to do anything serious about reducing earmarks.
After all, the only unpopular ones are the ones that go to some other districts. If a congressman from Alaska tries to get $200 million for a bridge to serve a couple of dozen people in his isolated district, that enrages people. But how many of us vote in that district? The folks who do live and vote there are likely to love that congressman for trying to bring home the boodle.
And so it goes on, and on.
A lot of us are pretty hypocritical on this topic. Rep. Devin Nunes got close to the mark when he told The Bee's Michael Doyle that he is “fed up” with how certain senior lawmakers take home millions of dollars in projects while other lawmakers must “scrounge around.”
Nunes, to his credit, has said he will tell his constituents that it's time to forego the pork for the sake of the nation and its budget. Bet he doesn't have a lot of company in that.
Early reports out of Washington say President Bush's State of the Union speech tonight, the last he will deliver during this eight years in office, will focus on the struggling economy and the need for Congress to pass a $150 billion economic stimulus plan.
Do you expect any surprises in tonight's speech?
David Mas Masumoto, the Del Rey farmer and author, has an excellent column on the various terms we put on workers who come to the San Joaquin Valley to harvest our crops. He says they are "ghosts" because they are in the shadows of our society. Others call them undocumented workers, illegal aliens, unauthorized immigrants -- and those words say a lot about what those doing the labeling think about them.
Here's a quote from Masumoto's latest column:
"They escape the public spotlight, work underground and often demand little. In this election year, we have the opportunity to shed light on them. But the question is: How do they become visible? The words and terms we use to frame the debate will control the discussion."
Masumoto always offers a unique perspective in his column, which runs monthly in The Bee.
Fresno County supervisors are expected to go on record Tuesday supporting a medical school in the San Joaquin Valley by urging the University of California Board of Regents to back a plan being developed by UC Merced. Fresno County would join several other Valley counties in pushing for a medical school here.
In this editorial, we explain the need for a Valley medical school and what you should do to lobby for the school, including writing letters to UC officials. Addresses of the regents and the UC president's office are included in the link to the editorial.
Fresno County's resolution, which will be introduced by Chairman Henry Perea, points out that the Valley is already medically underserved, and the problem will only increase because of a statewide physicians shortage. A medical school would help because doctors often stay in the region where they get their medical training.
It's important that Fresno County is adding its voice to this cause. This region must speak as one on this issue if we are going to have any chance of getting a full-blown medical school established in the Valley.
My column today on the high-tech industry's business model -- sell consumers stuff, but make it as difficult as possible to get help when it's broken -- got a huge response from readers. This is a much bigger concern that I thought when I had problems with non-functioning Norton Anti-Virus softrware. (Funny, the link to my credit card to keep the subscription current always seems to work).
Emails about similar concerns are pouring into my inbox. Here is part of my column on the high-tech industry's lack of customer service:
You've got to hand it to Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Symantec and the other high-tech companies for how they have trained their customers to beg for service when their products break down.
It's a business model that says, "You can stick your customer service right up your anti-virus. We didn't get rich by having to talk to our customers in person. Wait on the phone and someone will get to you when we darned well please."
I understand that computer nerds don't like to deal with people in the real world, but when did American consumers decide they're fine with having virtual customer service when their computers don't work? If we got that kind of treatment after buying a washing machine or a refrigerator, we wouldn't stand for it.
But we've become sheep in the electronic world, allowing the high-tech industry to sell us expensive gadgets and then accepting their refusal to give reasonable technical support when there are problems.
State Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Atwater, likes to tell his Valley constituents how much money he saves them, even touting all the times that he hasn't taken a raise in his taxpayer-financed salary. Now we learn that while he has not taken several raises at the times they were offered, he later sends a letter to the state controller asking for the previous raise. It's very creative, although not quite honest.
It's all here in The Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert (you'll have to register to read it).
Here's more from the SacBee item:
For instance, last fall, Denham, who is facing a recall attempt, was one of the 21 lawmakers who turned down a $3,110-per-year raise that went into effect in December. But less than a month after declining the pay hike, the Atwater Republican sent a second letter to the state controller accepting a similar-sized raise granted 18 months earlier.
It’s not the first time Denham has declined one raise while accepting another.
“He gets the best of both worlds,” said Robert Stern, president of the government-watchdog Center for Governmental Studies. “He’s getting the good press and most of the pay.”
Denham has collected less than his full salary every year since he was elected in 2002, but in each of the last two years he has, within a month, turned down one raise, while accepting another.
Fresno County Supervisor Judy Case lost her seat on the state Air Resources Board Thursday, when the Senate rejected her nomination on a party-line vote. Case came under fire from environmentalists angry at the slow pace of the Valley's air district in cleaning up our dirty air, and state Sen. Dean Florez happily took up the cudgel.
Case represents Fresno County on the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District board, and was appointed by the governor to the district's seat on the ARB board. But Democrats in the Senate were upset with Case's votes to extend the deadline for clean air in the Valley, and with her earlier opposition to various measures -- most of them sponsored by Florez -- to tighten regulations on pollution and to expand the membership of the Valley district board to include more representatives from cities and a pair of members form the medical and scientific communities.
The Senate's move against Case should be seen as a shot across the bow of the Valley air district. It needs to get a good deal more aggressive than it has been in addressing Valley air quality. That pressure has been building from the district's constituents in the Valley; now it's coming from Sacramento as well.
Lesly Clark of McClatchy Newspapers has this interesting story about Florida, which holds its primary on Tuesday. This will be the first major test for the presidential candidates in the election season because they will have to appeal to a wide range of constituencies in the Sunshine State.
Here is part of the story:
"It's America in miniature,'' said Brad Coker of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, who's been polling in the state since 1984. "It's maybe a little more rightward tilt than the U.S., but it's probably the closest thing to a complete profile of the country than any other state that has voted up till now.''
A high-growth state since the invention of air conditioning, Florida's appeal may at long last be cooling. Census figures show that the state — still the fourth-largest in population — slid in 2007 from the fourth fastest-growing state in the country to the 19th.
Its once-solid economy, fueled in large part by tourist dollars, is now among the most threatened in the nation. It's been hit hard by a struggling housing market: Brand-new condo units in towers along Miami's glitzy skyline have been sold at foreclosure auctions. State coffers have been drained by a slump in sales tax collections, which make up the bulk of tax dollars in a state long hostile to an income tax.
Hang in there a little longer. Here's some news that's come out this morning with some details of the proposed economic stimulus package:
Congressional aides, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced, said they hope the checks could go out as early as June.
Individuals who pay income taxes would get up to $600, working couples $1,200 and those couples with children an additional $300 per child under the deal. Workers who make at least $3,000 but don't pay taxes would get $300 rebates.
The rebates would be limited to individuals whose income is $75,000 or less and working couples with incomes $150,000 or less.
The Associated Press reported today that President Bush and top officials in his administration lied repeatedly about Iraq in the run-up to invading that country. That might have been Page 1 stuff — if it came as a surprise to anybody.
Two non-profit journalism organizations, the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism, published the study. It can be found at the center’s Web site.
The study concluded that the administration make false or misleading statements nearly 1,000 times in the two years before the invasion. More than half of those falsehoods suggested either that Iraq was seeking weapons of mass destruction, or that Saddam Hussein's regime had ties to al-Qaida.
President Bush himself led the way, with 259 false statements, the vast majority on the issue of the non-existent WMD. Then-Secretary of State Colin Powell came in a close second with 254 falsehoods during the period between 9/11 and the Iraq invasion in 2003 — cementing his place in history as the saddest of sad sacks in the Bush regime.
 According to Yahoo News, the death of Heath Ledger, 28, has prompted the White House to postpone President Bush's event planned for today promoting an ad campaign aimed at preventing prescription drug abuse.
"We thought it would be better to postpone the event rather than run the risk of anyone thinking that we were being opportunistic in highlighting the issue," said White House press secretary Dana Perino, even though Bush's event had been scheduled for a while.
Reports say the autopsy earlier today was inconclusive as far as the cause of death for the Oscar-nominated Australian-born thespian, who was found dead yesterday in a Manhattan apartment. Police said they found bottles of prescription sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication in his bedroom and in the bathroom.
I find myself immensely saddened by Heath's death. Although we aren't yet certain what killed him, if it was a drug overdose, that's a tragic way for his 2-year-old daughter Mathilda to lose her father.
The news has touched me more than most celebrity headlines. And it's not just me. Almost 24 hours after the story first broke, the story is still the lead featured story on CNN's Web site.
Ledger showed great promise as an actor. Like Johnny Depp before him, Ledger threw off the stereotypical teen heartthrob label, instead choosing grittier, more challenging roles. One article I read yesterday compared Ledger's early demise to the early death of James Dean. I think many people will find that an apt comparison.
 The Fresno Bee's editorial board is supporting Sen. John McCain in the Republican presidential primary election on Feb. 5 in California and former Sen. John Edwards in the Democratic primary. The presidential recommendations were published in today's Bee. You can read the McCain and Edwards editorials by clicking here.
Of the GOP candidates still running, McCain is the best fit for the San Joaquin Valley. He has a reasonable position on immigration reform -- one that strikes a balance between securing our border and meeting the labor needs of Valley farmers and other industries that rely on foreign workers. He also favors free trade policies that would be good for the Valley. We think he's wrong on the war in Iraq, and the United States needs an exit strategy. On balance, McCain is the best in the Republican field
We like Edwards on the Democratic side because he stands up for middle-class families. They've had a tough time under the Bush Administration and the latest economic problems will hit them the hardest. Edwards offers a message of hope for America that is desperately needed.
The Bee's editorial board recognizes that Edwards has run behind Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama in the early primaries and caucuses and will have a difficult time overtaking the frontrunners in the Democratic contest. But we believe that his message is beginning to get traction and he can move up if he does well in Saturday's South Carolina primary.
Look for The Bee editorial board's choices for president in the Republican and Democratic campaigns in Wednesday's paper. They will be on the editorial page, as well as online at fresnobee.com/opinion. The California primary election is Feb. 5, the same day that 21 other states will be holding their primaries.
We offered our recommendations on the state ballot propositions on Sunday, urging a "No" vote on all seven propositions. You can read our reasoning here.
In the Democratic race for president, Sen. Hillary Clinton is running well ahead of Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards in California, according to the latest Field Poll. Clinton has 39% to 27% for Obama and 10% for Edwards.
On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain holds a slight lead, according to the Los Angeles Times/CNN/Politico poll. McCain had 20% of the vote, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 16%. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had 14% and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee had 13%.
 In our editorial today, The Fresno Bee editorial board supports a "yes" vote on Measure C, which would lead to the incorporation of a 13.1-square-mile area in Oakhurst. In meeting with both sides of the Oakhurst incorporation issue, it's hard to see how they are so far apart in their positions. Both sides seem to want what is best for the mountain community, and both sides seem to want to preserve Oakhurst's small-town charm.
Proponents of incorporation think that can best be achieved by self-representation and self-governance. Those against incorporation seem to think it's best to keep the status quo as far as local government, even though the current government -- the Madera County Board of Supervisors -- hasn't particularly looked out for Oakhurst residents' best interests over the past 20 years. Rapid growth in the area has benefitted Madera County, which takes almost $2 million in tax revenue more than it returns in services to the Oakhurst community.
Residents of the area have two more opportunities to hash things out and hear both sides before they cast their ballots on Feb. 5. Tonight, opponents will present a forum (Keep Oakhurst Rural Coalition, 683-1868). Next Tuesday the Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a forum in favor of incorporation. Both forums will be from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Oakhurst Community Center.
(Photo by John Walker/Bee file: The boomtown of Oakhurst, no longer a sleepy mountain town along highway 41 and 49, is busy with shopping centers along its commercial corridor, where residents can't agree on the issue of incorporation of the city.)
 That aging Texas Ranger, Chuck Norris, seems to forget that he's not much younger than Sen. John McCain. This is what Norris had to say Sunday about McCain's candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination:
"I didn’t pick John to support because I’m just afraid that the vice president would wind up taking over his job in that four-year presidency." The actor made the statement as he was hosting his presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, at his Navasota, Texas, ranch.
Ok, Chuck, we all know that you don't do your own stunts because you've become very fragile as you are approaching 70, so quit banging on McCain's age. Norris is 67 and McCain is 71. Besides, suggesting that someone is going to die within the next four years is in extremely bad taste.
The Associated Press reported that McCain had this retort to Norris:
"I'm afraid that I may have to send my 95-year-old mother over to wash Chuck’s mouth out with soap," said McCain.
She might even whip this bad actor's butt.
The Golden State's voters may finally have a say in who the presidential nominees are in the Democratic and Republican parties. With the nominations up in the air, the race in both parties could come down to the Feb. 5 primary in California and the primaries in 21 other states that will also be held that Tuesday.
The day is being called "Super Tuesday" or "Tsunami Tuesday." Whatever you want to call Feb. 5, the primaries that day will have a huge say in nominating the Democratic and Republican standard-bearers.
The irony is that while giving more clout to California in the presidential contests was the stated reason for moving the primary to Feb. 5, everyone knows that the real reason was a ploy to extend the legislative careers of 42 to lawmakers in the Assembly and state Senate. By also putting Proposition 93 on the same ballot, the careers of termed-out legislators could be extended if voters approve the measure. They then can run in the June primary for their seats. It's all legal because they separated the presidential primary from the primary for all the other races in California.
So for once, the self-serving Legislature gave voters something -- a say in the presidential nominating contests. Now the voters should say thank you, and then vote down Proposition 93. I give my reasons in this column on the issue.
But let's get back to the presidential contests. The next key race for Republicans is in Florida on Jan. 29. All the leading GOP candidates are going all-out in Florida, making it an important test of strength. Even Rudy Giuliani is fighting for delegates in Florida. Right now Sen. John McCain is considered the Republican front-runner.
On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton has improved her position by defeating Sen. Barack Obama in the caucuses in Nevada on Saturday. The next key contest is South Carolina, which is holding its Democratic primary on Saturday.
Former Sen. John Edwards, the Democratic nominee for vice president four years ago, is desperately trying to bust into the Clinton/Obama group, but his time is running out. Edwards is pitching himself as the only Democrat who can beat McCain, according to this Associated Press story.
Edwards acknowledged that he got his "butt kicked" in Nevada, managing only 4% support among caucus attenders. Clinton got 51% and Obama had 45%.
Expect the candidates to begin paying quite a bit of attention to California. I hope those of you who are voting by mail haven't marked your ballots yet. It's going to get very interesting.
It seems that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't even sure of where he stands, as he switches positions on crucial issues for reasons that seem inexplicable. I discuss this point in my column today on Schwarzenegger, just over four years after he won an historic recall election.
Here's a portion of the column:
But now we're not really sure what Schwarzenegger stands for.
He appears to get a kick out of driving his Republican base bonkers by lining up on the opposite side of fundamental issues that are daily fodder for radio talk shows. He signed a bill that makes California a leader on combating greenhouse gases and he's pushing a massive government health care plan.
Last week, he stunned Republicans by endorsing Proposition 93, the measure on the Feb. 5 ballot that will loosen term limits. It also will allow the Democratic leaders in the Legislature and 40 other lawmakers to extend their terms if it is approved.
This change in positions by Schwarzenegger was bigger than merely angering Republicans on term limits. Good-government types and many independents were upset because Proposition 93 offers lawmakers a chance to extend their terms without following through on their pledge to couple changes in term limits with redistricting reform.
When you mark your ballots for the Feb. 5 election, the propositions should be easy. The Bee's editorial board is recommending that you vote "No" on all the state propositions. Here is today's editorial explaining the newspaper's reasoning.
We will offer our recommendations on the presidential race on Wednesday. The contests in the Republican and Democratic primaries are close. although Republican John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton are in strong positions after Saturday's results.
Look for our recommendations on Propositions 91 through 97 on Sunday. The propositions will be on the Feb. 5 primary ballot, but many voters who vote by mail are already marking their ballots.
We've already announced our position on Proposition 93, the measure to adjust term limits for California legislators. We oppose the measure because the Legislature refused to couple a term limits change with a reform of the redistricting system. Lawmakers had promised to do both, but went back on their word on redistricting.
The remaining propositions on the Feb. 5 ballot deal with transportation, community college funding and Indian gambling compacts.
We plan to announce our recommendations for president in the Republican and Democratic primaries on Wednesday.
 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is what some might call a "gun nut," or maybe more precisely, a "weapons nut." He told the Los Angeles Times that he has plenty of fire power in his home, not to mention a few swords, axes and spears. Here's what he told the Times' Evan Halper:
"Remember how many law enforcement people I have played and military people I have {played]. I was the Terminator, with the gun that with one hand you cock and spin. All those things I have."
Halper asked if Schwarzenegger has all those weapons in his house.
"No, no. Not all in the home," Schwarzenegger said. "We have some weapons at home."
Ok. Now I'm picturing the governor, just for fun, of course, pulling on the "Conan the Barbarian" outfit and striking a pose in his Los Angeles neighborhood. This could be how he slays the state's $14 billion budget deficit. Head into the Capitol with spear in hand. That'll make the special interests cower.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is once again killing high-speed rail with kindness. He says he wants the system built, and he's changed his mind about pulling a November bond measure for that purpose from the ballot. That's good news, we said in an editorial today.
But he's also insisting that guarantees of federal and private sector investment be in place before the state sells any bonds -- should voters approve them -- to begin building the 700-mile system. That gets it backwards. State rail officials and others have said there's interest in the private sector for a stake in the high-speed system. That's no surprise. Unlike the perennially underfunded and poorly subsidized Amtrak system, high speed is expected to be a moneymaker, with projections of between $2.6 billion and $3.9 billion in annual revenue by 2030.
Fresno Rep. Jim Costa, long a staunch rail advocate, is seeking federal help from Congress.
But the one guarantee that's needed is from California itself. That's what everyone else is waiting for. Expecting the feds and the private sector to take the first step is a guarantee of failure. And that's too painful to contemplate.
Candidates seeking to succeed outgoing Fresno Mayor Alan Autry were put on notice today: Airy generalizations and demagoguery won't be enough in this year's election. Here's our editorial.
We specifically mentioned crime, which is now at a 43-year low in Fresno, thanks to previous efforts to boost the number of officers and some innovative deployment decisions. So it won't work for candidates to wander the local landscape shrieking about out-of-control crime.
That applies to other issues as well. Fresno has serious problems: terrible air quality, looming water shortages, a severe lack of park space, a downtown that's struggling mightily for new life, unemployment and poverty, and a brain drain that sees the best and brightest of our young people spending most of their time trying to choose a path out of town for better prospects.
Candidates must have specific plans and visions to address those issues. Fair warning: We're going to hold them to that.
On today's op-ed page, we provided a grid with the positions of the leading Democratic and Republican candidates on seven issues: Iraq, the economy, health care, immigration, taxes, global warming and energy. It's a one-page compilation showing where they stand. You can see a PDF of the page here.
I guess the news today -- "Fresno's crime at 43-year low" -- means we won't have to hear a lot of local candidates demagoguing the crime issue in the upcoming election. Then again...
Instead of the boilerplate about rampant crime we're usually treated to in an election year, how about the candidates offer instead their specific notions on how to keep this welcome trend moving in the right direction? Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says the increase in officers -- Fresno has added 352 officers, for a total of 854, since 1995 -- is responsible for the decrease, along with new deployment strategies.
How will the various mayoral candidates keep that going? How will they pay for it? Let's hear that debate.
Michael Der Manouel writes in a column in today's Bee that Fresno Unified School District superintendent Michael Hanson has earned the big, fat raise that some people are pitching a fit over. Read his take on the controversy by clicking here.
I don't have a problem with keeping Hanson's raise competitive, but the board should have had more confidence in its decision. The school board members should always give plenty of time for people to have a conversation over such an important issue as compensation. People don't expect to win every time, but they can hold very long resentments when their ideas are summarily dismissed. People need to know their concerns have been heard and considered.
The board sold itself and the superintendent short by rushing this through, as if they are afraid of a discussion on the matter. They can hear it now, or they can hear about it when they run for re-election. Fumble.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reiterated his support for a bond measure to build more water storage in California -- both above and below ground -- when he met with The Bee's editorial board yesterday. Here's our video interview with the governor.
Schwarzenegger correctly separates the need for massive infrastructure investment in California from the current budget crisis, which is good news for the Valley and the state. California has let its once world-class roads, bridges, water systems and higher education languish in recent decades, and we're paying a high price for that neglect.
The governor also expressed support for the high-speed rail bond on the November ballot -- more good news.
Even as we struggle with the prospect of steep budget cuts and the possibility of higher taxes to fix the budget mess, we have to keep an eye on the future. And that means investing in the infrastructure we need to stay in the vanguard of the world economy.
UC Merced landed a big fish among the regents Monday. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, during a meeting with The Bee's editorial board, responded very favorably when I asked him if he would support a medical school at UC Merced. He was already familiar with the notion.
He supports it! Now, we just have to work our way down the list of regents to keep this idea moving forward.
Members of the community are the best lobbyists at this point. Let the regents know what you think by letter, fax or e-mails. Also, make sure your elected officials have weighed in with the regents as well.
Read our editorial, which also carries connections to the regents, by clicking here:
See video of Jim Boren interviewing the governor on a variety of issues by clicking here.
Click here to see and hear what Gov. Schwarzenegger said about his proposed state budget after his meeting with The Bee's editorial board on Monday afternoon.
In this interview (which is just under four minutes), Schwarzenegger talks about the impact budget cuts will have on education and whether releasing prisoners early could make California less safe. That's a big issue in the Valley because of all the prisons in the region. He also says a budget that is structurally sound will be good for all Californians,
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's press office says that after he met with The Bee's editorial board this afternoon, he huddled with advisers, and guess what? He's supporting the measure on the Feb. 5 ballot to loosen term limits. He told us he was undecided on Proposition 93. See previous blog post on this subject.
Apparently it took the governor less than two hours to make a decision that will anger his Republican base forever. He went from undecided at 3 p.m. to supporting Proposition 93 at 4:30 p.m. -- at least that's what his press office says. In that time, he also wrote an op/ed explaining his position and delivered it to the Los Angeles Times. The governor must be a very fast writer.
The Times first reported on its Web site that the governor was supporting Proposition 93. The details are in this story.
Here's a portion of the Times story:
Softening his past opposition to changes to California's term-limits law, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided to endorse a February ballot measure that would allow many sitting lawmakers to run for office again this year rather than be forced to leave the Legislature, said people close to the governor and the campaign.
Schwarzenegger's backing is a boost for the Proposition 93 campaign and its chief proponent, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles), who will be forced out of his seat after this year unless the term-limits law is changed.
Nunez endeared himself to Schwarzenegger by pushing the governor's health care overhaul through the Assembly last month. And the speaker has offered only muted criticism of the governor's plan to cut education, health care and social services spending to balance the state's budget.
The governor explains his move in this commentary written for the Times.
Here's the reaction from the No on 93 campaign:
No on Prop. 93 spokesman Kevin Spillane issued the following statement this evening:
"As Arnold Schwarzenegger's own previous numerous statements on term limits make clear, his support for Proposition 93 has nothing to do with the issue of term limits, redistricting reform or the merits or substance of this deeply flawed ballot measure.
Gov. Schwarzenegger strongly supported term limits as a candidate for Governor and has repeatedly declared that he would only support a change in term limits if redistricting reform was passed by the Legislature as part of a package deal. That did not happen. In fact, Don Perata and Fabian Nunez broke their repeated promises to pass redistricting reform out of the Legislature.
Schwarzenegger's position is part of a political deal made because of a completely unrelated issue and it was extracted by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez from the Governor.
It is a sign of the dysfunctionality of the Legislature that its self-serving leadership has held the Governor hostage on health care issues so that it may leverage him into helping them remain in power by loosening term limits.
It is disappointing that the Governor would disregard the 15 newspapers across California which have strongly editorialized against Proposition 93 -- calling it 'self-serving' and a 'scam.' Unlike the Governor, most of these newspapers are not philosophical supporters of term limits but see Proposition 93 as so flawed that it is unworthy of voter support.
We believe the voters of California know the truth about Proposition 93 -- that it is sponsored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata so that they can remain in power and that it actually lengthens terms for most politicians -- and will reject this self-serving and misleading initiative."
There's been talk that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may support Proposition 93, the ballot measure that would let the current Democratic leadership remain in office longer if voters approve it on Feb. 5. But the governor told The Bee's editorial board today that he has not made a decision on whether to support Proposition 93. Coincidentally, he said, he is meeting with his advisers in a few hours to determine what he will do on the measure.
Schwarzenegger said he hasn't made any commitments to anyone on supporting Proposition 93. He said he will announce his decision soon on whether to back the measure supported by Democratic leaders in the Legislature. This would really anger Republicans if the governor goes for the proposition. They already think the GOP governor is too cozy with Democratic leaders.
But don't count on him doing commercials for Proposition 93 if he decides to support it. He said he doesn't want to get over-exposed. He's already doing ads for the four Indian gaming compacts that also are on the Feb. 5 ballot. Schwarzenegger negotiated the compacts with the tribes and now opponents are challenging them in Propositions 94, 95, 96 and 97.
Proposition 93 is a tricky measure. It would reduce the total number of years that a legislator could serve from 14 to 12, but it would allow the 12 years to be served in one house of the Legislature. That's good because it would give lawmakers some continuity in dealing with the state's complex issues.
But a provision also allows termed-out lawmakers -- there are 32 of them -- to spend extra time in office. That's bad because it goes against the spirit of the proposition.
That last little twist came from some political manipulation of the process. If Proposition 93 passes in February, the termed-out legislators would be able to run for their seats in the June primary election, and then get re-elected in November. Now you see why the Democratic leadership created the Feb. 5 primary?
This proposition might have made sense if it had been coupled with redistricting reform, which legislative leaders promised to do. But they went back on their word. Here's my analysis of the issue.
Jon Fleischman of the Flash Report wrote this open letter to the governor asking him to oppose Proposition 93. But his letter may be too late.
The members of the Board of Regents of the University of California probably are not listed as friends on most people's Facebook or MySpace or occupying a spot in their Outlook contacts or Roldexes.
That needs to change. These people need to be everyone's friend because they are making decisions that affect the Valley's health care and careers.
As we wrote in an editorial in Sunday's Bee, the Valley needs to speak up to the regents right now to let them know that a future medical school is a top priority here.
Read just some of the reasons this is vital to the health care of our region listed in our editorial -- as well as the address of the regents -- by clicking here.
A southern California man thought he had a case against his former employer for his exposure to chemicals he says caused his diabetes and other problems. He'll never know, because the state Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal of a lower court ruling against him,.
The court didn't take up the case because four of the seven justices recused themselves, based on the fact that they all hold oil company stocks, which created a conflict of interest. So Braxton Berkley is out of luck.
The three remaining justices could have ruled in the case, with the help of temporary justices, but decided against that course for fear that any subsequent ruling would lack the weight of a full court hearing. Another possibility -- having the judges put their stock holdings in a blind trust -- was ruled out by the state's Administrative Office of the Courts, on the grounds that the justices have to take an active role in managing their portfolios. That's bogus. What are blind trusts for, if not cases such as this one?
The Bee's editorial board met this morning with proponents of Proposition 92, which will lower community college fees to $15 a unit and also ties future fees to the cost of living. Most importantly, the funding formula for the community colleges would change. Right now, the money for community colleges is tied to the growth of the K-12 schools. The proponents' major point is that the growth of the two systems isn't always the same, creating a disconnect between the need and the funding. Here is the Web site for the affirmative case: http://www.prop92yes.com/
We will meet with the No on Proposition 92 people on Friday. The opposition is primarily wary of this proposition because it's more ballot-box budgeting. Locking the budgeting process into formulas reduces the options of the Legislature in paying for the needs of the state. See the Web site for the opposition by clicking here.
There is very little disagreement about the value of the community colleges. We all know they are a pivotal part of the state's higher education matrix. What is at issue here is how to pay for them.
What do you think? If you have already made up your mind about this or have already voted on it, let us know what you decided.
 Be sure to check back on our blog later this afternoon to see what he talked with us about. The main topic will be his proposal for the state budget, but I'm sure other topics will come up.
My column today dissects the political ads that urge you to loosen California's term limits law. The problem with the sponsors' argument is that it doesn't tell the full story about the issue. Democratic leaders had promised to couple a redistricting reform measure with the term-limits change. They didn't. The only measure that got on the Feb. 5 ballot was the self-serving initiative to loosen term limits.
This is part of what I say about the ads in today's commentary:
Here's some of what is left out. Assembly Speaker Fabián Núñez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata promised to combine a change in term limits with reforming the way boundaries of legislative districts are created in California.
Right now, legislators draw the lines of their own districts to make elections as noncompetitive as possible. They have become very good at protecting their careers from the democratic process.
You could argue that it would be good public policy to loosen term limits a bit if that reform had been coupled with a measure to give redistricting powers to an independent commission. That was what was supposed to have happened this year.
Guess what? They skipped the part about reforming redistricting, but dummied up a group to put a term-limits measure on the ballot. So much for keeping their word.
Perry Huffman, a retired Fresno Bee graphic artist, stopped by this morning with an autographed copy of his new book, "Oats to Art...an Odyssey with Some Smiles." Perry did some spectacular work for The Bee, particularly as a portrait artist, and he had a wicked sense of humor.
During my first few days of work at The Bee as a 19-year-old student writer, I remember Perry greeting me with a bawdy limerick that made fun of my name. Those were the days before anyone considered such things inappropriate, and he immediately made me feel like one of the gang.
Folks with long memories may remember his days as the editorial cartoonist for the Opinion pages. The cartoons in the book ran decades ago, but the issues endure to this day: gas prices, drug abuse, water. It's fun to read his stories from back in the day at The Bee and comparing them with my own account of past events. I'm grateful he's put these stories down on paper.
My favorite chapter is about the mistakes the artists made back in the day when almost every photograph was "touched up." Now, that would be considered highly unethical, but at the time, we thought nothing of it. If there was an advertising sign in the picture, the artists just painted it out. If something didn't show up well enough, the artists would outline it or paint it in more clearly. Too much cleavage on that woman for a family newspaper? Easily solved with a paintbrush.
This is his second book of memoirs, published by Trafford Publishing.,
The city of Modesto has joined a handful of other cities, including Clovis, that make it a misdemeanor to dig through other people's garbage bins. It's an attempt to address an issue that has cropped up in letters to The Bee in recent years, and has sparked many debates.
On the one hand, those who rummage through garbage bins may be performing the highest form of recycling — turning someone else’s trash into treasure.
On the other hand, those rummagers often leave garbage and recyclables strewn all over streets and parking lots.
And there's the danger of identity theft if documents with sensitive information fall into the wrong hands.
But actions like Modesto's raise questions. How enforceable are such laws? Will any city police force spend much of its time checking neighborhoods for garbage bin thieves in the early morning hours, when most such "crimes" occur? Isn’t the best protection against identity theft — and the ultimate responsibility for it — up to individual residents rather than cops?
Someone in the Fresno Unified administration should be smart enough to understand that giving Superintendent Michael Hanson a 35% pay raise isn't the best PR move, especially coming so quickly after the district finally settled with the teachers union.
I guess we have three possibilities: 1. His advisers are weak-kneed sycophants unwilling to tell Hanson the truth. 2. They don't understand that education is as much about politics and public relations as it is about classroom education. 3. They are an arrogant bunch of educators who don't care about how their actions are perceived by taxpayers.
If No. 3 is the case, no amount of common sense will change their bad judgment. But I thought that at least the school board members, who actually talk to voters, would understand the ramifications of paying such a huge raise to Hanson right after settling with teachers. I overestimated the school board -- at least the majority members who pushed this raise through without giving the community adequate opportunity to review it.
The Bee's editorial board concluded this was handled poorly. Here's today's editorial.
I'm not sure what fair compensation for a superintendent is in Fresno, with all its problems. He deserves a raise because Fresno Unified has improved under him. I'm certain, though, that if Hanson is worth $277,000 a year, the school board should have made a better case for it over a longer period of time. You can't jam a $277,000 contract down the public's throat and think there won't be any backlash.
The way this was handled was an error of mammoth proportions. The district finally had labor peace after giving teachers a fair contract. It was an opportunity to put all the district's efforts into improving student performance. That was thrown away Wednesday night by the school board and administration.
In addition, the negotiations on this raise apparently were done in secret with some board members. There may have been a Brown Act violation, as the administration clearly locked in four votes for the raise prior to the board meeting.
We're back to Fresno Unified being a political pesthole. You can thank Hanson and the school board majority.
It's my hope -- as someone who is a product of this school system and who had a daughter excel in it -- that we can move past all this and concentrate on making Fresno Unified better. Hanson has shown results, and we don't need another superintendent rolling through Fresno. The revolving door over the past decade is one of the reasons Fresno Unified lost focus in the classroom and was near bankruptcy. Now Hanson is locked in.
We must remember, too, that the Fresno Teachers Association excels at churning its members. The leadership always demonizes the superintendents. It's part of the playbook. The superintendent makes a lot more than a teacher, therefore the superintendent must be bad.
It doesn't make sense, but it tends to work with FTA members. It's also important to note that there has never been a school superintendent who the FTA thought did a good job. The union has to fight with the superintendent to show its members that it's on their side. Talk about giving the union something to exploit.
The FTA does not believe in the concept that working together allows the entire school community to do a good job for the children. In fact, the children are usually not in the equation.
That's too bad. Keeping Fresno's teachers riled up may be good for union organizing, but it's not good for children.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is conducting an ad campaign promoting the use of Food Stamps in the Valley for the next two months.
This is an important public health effort because it is vital for low-income families to have proper nutrition. Poorly fed children don't perform well in school, and suffer from behavior problems and expensive health problems. The high obesity rates among the poor are a reflection of malnutrition. Children who are eating healthful diets high in lean meats and fresh fruits and vegetables are rarely obese, have more energy and so they are more likely to exercise.
It is important for Valley families who qualify for Food Stamps to seize this opportunity to invest in their good health. The federal government makes sure the programs exist because it is wise community development to make sure needy members of the community get the proper nutritients for their minds and bodies. Taxpayers from the Valley have contributed to the funds used for Food Stamps and we need to make sure our share of the money comes back here to care for our own. In addition, the influx of funds helps the local economy because it's used for shopping in our local grocery stores.
The phone number for the Fresno Call Center is (877) 847-3663. When people call, they have a choice of languages, and are asked to enter their zip codes. They are then transferred to someone to answer their questions. If you or someone you know qualifies for Food Stamps, by all means, get enrolled.
One of the problems with public agencies handing out excessive increases in benefits to their retirees is that this practice has created a house of cards that one day will fall if changes aren't made. Instead of having nice pensions and health benefits to live on, retired public employees could be left with nothing.
In The Bee's editorial today, we point out that state and local agencies have unfunded liabilities of $118.1 billion over the next 30 years. That's a huge problem.
Here's a portion of the editorial:
By any measure, public employee pension and retiree health care benefits are excessive. Driven by politically powerful public employee unions, the state, local governments, schools and special districts have larded up their benefits packages to levels that are unsustainable.
Many workers retire from state and local government service at a little over 55 years of age with 90% of their pay, plus generous lifetime health benefits. Public safety workers can collect full benefits as young as age 50. In the state's biggest counties, some retirees collect more in retirement than they earned on the job.
State and local leaders must address this problem. Unfortunately, they'd rather ignore it. When this financial mismanagement finally hits, there will be big problems for both retirees and the agencies they used to work for.
 An article in today's paper reports on a proposal to give Fresno Unified School District superintendent a 35% pay raise. If the school board approves the plan at the meeting tonight, Michael Hanson's new salary would be $277,039 a year.
Now granted, Hanson hasn't received a raise since he became superintendent in July 2005. And he has produced results during his time with the district.
But it seems like a pretty big hike for the community to digest in just the few hours before the meeting. Maybe it would go down a little easier if district officials had laid some groundwork, making the case to the public over a period of time instead late the day before the meeting.
At least one trustee thinks it's too soon to approve the proposal, according to the article:
Carol Mills -- who clashed with Hanson when she was board president last year -- said the public has not been given a chance to digest Hanson's new salary package. She said she would like to delay the decision until February, when the district has a better grasp of next year's budget.
And district leaders also had to expect objections from Teachers union chief Larry Moore, who as president of the Fresno Teachers Association recently settled a long labor disagreement with the district. Moore said Hanson's proposed salary will demoralize teachers and staffers.
Hanson, who oversees a district of 73,760 students, deserves to be fairly compensated at a level that is competitive with other school districts of comparable size. And figures in the article show what superintendents of some similarly sized districts make:
San Diego Unified School District (135,053 students): $250,000
Long Beach Unified School District (88,474 students: $227,708
Clovis Unified School District (37,000 students): $215,000. But this feels like a rush job. And that perception leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
In today's Blogging Across America column on the op-ed page, Tobin Harshaw of the New York Times addresses reports that Paul Begala and James Carville will be called in to help out with Hillary Clinton's campaign. The Washington Post reports that the Clinton camp says there is nothing to it.
"As the evening began, Democratic circles buzzed with talk of a
shake-up in the Clinton campaign, but wholesale changes did not occur
as the night wore on. Campaign sources confirmed that Clinton
confidante Maggie Williams would come aboard to help coordinate
activities, but officials insisted that former Clinton insiders James
Carville, Paul Begala and John Podesta would not be joining the team." |
